ANKARA YILDIRIM BEYAZIT UNIVERSITY

ENGINEERING AND NATURAL SCIENCE FACULTY

CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

CE 321 SOIL MECHANICS

Lab Session Number: 7

Consolidation Test

Name Surname: Hasan Bayram

Student ID:16050611066

28/10/2018

2018-2019 FALL SEMESTER

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page Number

1. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………. 1

2. EQUIPMENTS………………………………………………………. 1

3. METHODOLOGY…………………………………………………… 2

4. DESCRIPTION OF RELEVANT CALCULATIONS……………… 3

5. RESULTS……………………………………………………………… 8

6. CONCLUSIONS……………………………………………………… 9
1. INTRODUCTION

Consolidation is a long process for soil and it is defined as decreasing of volume of soil. As a principal
volume change because of the water in soil expel or the soil particles deformed plastically these change
name as consolidation. Difference between the compaction test (5th lab.) for the consolidation the water
forced to expel or soil particles deformed plastically and volume decrease but for the compaction air
compressed by force and volume decrease. For the consolidation process we apply the stress on soil and
measure the change in volume of soil. Usually we aspect the consolidation at one dimension and we
measure only height of our column we assume there is no change at the diameter of ring.

If our soil never experienced a load difference from his geological stress it is named normally loaded
soil. If the pressure applied on soil before we can say pre-consolidated or over consolidated soil. Because
of over consolidated soil experienced a greater load before the volume change will be lesser than
normally loaded soil. We can divide the consolidation in to three part they are elastic settlement, primary
settlement and secondary settlement. Volume changed but when the load removed soil return its
beginning volume for the elastic part. For the primary part we can say settlement occur because of water
expel from soil and pore water pressure is gradually dissipate. Secondary settlement is a time-consuming
part only 0-10 percent of settlement occur at this part. Because of plastic deformations of soil particles,
secondary settlement is occurred.

At this test we use oedometer and it is one dimensional test. The soil sample is placed inside a metal ring
with a porous stone at the top of the sample and at the bottom. Load apply to soil through a level arm.
Settlement measured by a micrometer dial gauge. Soil always fully saturated during experiment. We
determine the rate of volume decrease rate and important part is we draw a consolidation curve (void
ratio versus pressure) and we obtain same important parameters for interpreting our soil. These
consolidation parameters of soil, coefficients of volume compressibility, mv, and coefficient of
consolidation, Cv, Compression index, Cc, recompression index, Cr, and pre-consolidation pressure.
These parameters obtain from the graph using same estimation. These parameters are very important for
obtaining the stability of ground that we construct our constructions.

2.EQUIPMENT

1) Oedometer

1
a) Consolidation ring

b) Two porous stones

c) Two filter papers

d) Loading pad

e) Consolidation mold

2) Dial gauge (0,0002 cm/div accuracy)

3) Stop watch

4) Vernier caliper

5) Spatula

6) Oven

3. METHODOLOGY

I) First step for the test taking soil sample from the field using consolidation ring. The ring should be
clean and it is weighed and measured the dimensions before.

II) After we press the ring in soil excess soil on the ring should be smooth by a spatula.

III) Different from the ring plus soil take a little sample for obtaining initial water content of soil.

IV) Clean the outside of ring, weighed the ring plus soil and record it.

V) Prepare the oedometer material porous stones, filter paper, specimen + ring, mold. Porous stone
should be boiled to saturated fully.

VI) Combine the oedometer parts. Firstly, place the base on it lower porous stone at the middle ring +
specimen and at the top loading pad. Screw the loading pad to soil specimen. Be sure about there is no
void between pad and specimen.

2
VII) Place the oedometer inside the loading device and if you needed set a trial load it can be 5 kPa.

VIII) For the standard loading, procedure should be double of load that applied before. Increments is like
2 kgf , 4 kgf, 8 kgf.

IX) We need to measure at the defined times it is 0.25, 0.5 ,1, 2, 4, 8, 15, 30 minutes and 1, 2, 4, 8, 24
hours.

X) After time is finished unload the loading up to trial loading. And take the final height of specimen.

XI) Take out the specimen plus ring and put it into oven and weighed the dry mass of soil.

XII) Make the relevant calculations about the recorded values.

4. DESCRIPTION OF RELEVANT CALCULATIONS

- For the E- LOG worksheet

After we are filling the table, we use Casagrande method for finding Pp’

Slope of rebound curve is Cr. We calculate the slope of pre-cons. curve and It is Cc

- For the 2kg load

We use logarithm of time method for calculating D0 and D100. These parameter used for finding Cv or
we can use square root of time for finding Cv.

Cv = Cv = 0,197* Hd2 / t50 or Cv = 0,848* Hd2 / t90

CS H σ C H σo +Δσ
S= log ( c ) + c log ( ) we can calculate Total settlement from here.
1+eo σo 1+e o σc

For 4 KG load We made same procedure like 2KG load.

3
5. RESULTS

At the first page of excel file we made the calculations with given values.

Area of ring: π*d2/4= π*(5 cm)2/4 = 19,63

Volume of ring: Area * height= 19,63 cm2 * 2 cm = 39,27 cm3

Initial Parameters:

Weight of sample = ring+ sample – ring = 129,09 – 68,18= 60,91 gf

Weight of dry sample = can+ ring+ dry sample – (can + ring) = 158,09 – (51,74+98,18) = 38,17 gf

Weight of water = sample –dry sample = 60,91 – 38,17 = 22,74 gf

22,74
Water content = weight of water / weight of dry sample *100 = 38,17 ∗ 100 = 59,58 %

60,91 𝑔𝑓
Unit weight = weight of sample/ volume = 39,27 =1,55 𝑐𝑚3

𝑀
Volume of solids =𝐺 ∗ 𝑠𝜌
𝑠 𝑤

𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑑𝑠 𝑀 38,17

Hs = =𝐴∗𝐺 ∗𝑠 𝜌 = 19,63∗2,75∗1 =0,707 cm3
𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑠 𝑤

Hv0 = H0 – Hs = 2- 0,707=1,293

𝐻𝑣0 1,293
e= = 0,707 = 1,829
𝐻𝑠

𝑤0 𝑀 22,74
Height of water (Hw0) = 𝐴∗𝜌 = 19,63∗ 1 = 1,158
𝑤

𝐻𝑤0 1,158
Sr0 (%) = *100 = *100 = 89,556 %
𝐻𝑣0 1,293

- E-log Worksheet

As an example for Load 0,25 Kg

8
Pressure = 0,25 * 10*9,81/ 19,63* 10-6 m2 = 12,49 kPa

∆H= Difference Between Dial reading * Dial correction Factor.

∆e= ∆H / height of solids=∆H / Hs

ei = ei-1 - ∆ei

mv = ∆e/∆σ/(1+e0)

σv0 = depth of soil * unit weight

OCR = Pp’ / σv0

We take the t50 value from Load 2kg graph and calculate Cv

Cv = 0,197* Hd2 / t50

-For The 2KG Load worksheet

We make same procedure for ∆H and e

We calculate D0 and D100 by Logarithm of time method from the graph.

Slope of rebound curve give us Cr.

Slope of pre- consolidation curve give us Cc.

7. CONCLUSION

Consolidation test give us important parameters as we did at calculations like Coefficient of volume
change (mv), Compression index (Cc) and Coefficient of consolidation (Cv). We use this parameter for
estimating the consolidation of ground. It gives us a simulation of behavior of ground layer when we
construct something on it. Consolidation is meaning to decreasing of volume but we are making our test
at fully saturation there is no air additionally because of solids and water are incompressible only way to
consolidation is expelling of water. From the result we can easily see that water content is reduce from
initial water content 89,56 % to final water content 25,41 % at the parameters worksheet this mean
volume decrease by this expelling water. Our OCR for the soil is smaller than one this mean field stress
is more than pre-consolidation stress this mean our soil is under-consolidated.

For the consolidation permeability of soil is very important if the permeability of soil is high water can
easily expel and consolidation finish at very short time as we see at the permeability lab if the grain size
is high like sand and gravel permeability is high too. Usually consolidation test made for fine materials
like clay and silty soils. Because of clays permeability is too low total consolidation take a lot of time
especially for the secondary consolidation. If there is clay layer under our construction, we need to be
very careful. We need to consider clay can settle after the years of construction made. We can see this
example very well at very famous building like Pisa Tower. Because of the clay layer under the tower is
inclined and because of pressure one side of tower settled.